Entrepreneurship

The past year has presented many new challenges at home and around the globe — prompting us all to be ever agile and resilient. As we close out 2021, we can all be proud of the many contributions made by our Waterloo community to combat the coronavirus and to sustain high levels of education and research excellence. This list of stories — inspired by our quest to develop talent for a complex future, advance research, and strengthen sustainable and diverse communities — is by no means exhaustive, but is a sampling of the tremendous impact of our students, faculty and staff.

When University of Waterloo co-op student Anthony Ilersich faced the challenge of easing vaccine-related anxiety in children, he used his love for gaming to make a difference.

Three former students at the University of Waterloo are in impressive company on a who’s who of young luminaries from the worlds of business, sports and everything in between.

Grocery billionaire Apoorva Mehta, trucking disruptor Alex Rodrigues and cryptocurrency inventor Vitalik Buterin all appear on a Hall of Fame list of 30 Under 30 achievers released this week by influential business magazine Forbes.

The University of Waterloo is ranked 22nd in the world for universities that produce the most successful entrepreneurs, according to the 2021 PitchBook rankings of top 50 colleges for founders. 

Compiled annually by Deloitte, the Technology Fast 50 features eight companies founded by University of Waterloo alumni, and 10 additional companies with a Waterloo connection. Recognizing the world-class achievements of Canadian technology companies, the Technology Fast 50 program winners showcase innovation, leadership and rapid revenue growth between 2017 and 2020. 

Alex Rodrigues and Brandon Moak, the 20-something founders of an autonomous trucking company now valued at approximately US $5 billion, don’t have to look far for a reminder of their roots.

Hanging inside the front doors of their San Francisco office, a photograph shows a teenaged Rodrigues giving Feridun Hamdullahpur, then president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo, a ride around the Ring Road in a self-driving golf cart.

Every year, KidsAbility supports more than 11,000 children and youth in Southwestern Ontario. Clients are helped through programs designed to assist with communication, social and physical goals, but face significant challenges when they move beyond the scope of their services at 21 years old.